Is your relationship in a difficult place right now? Are you struggling on one income? Has your partner cheated on you? Do you sense a distance between you and your partner? Where do you find hope in times like these? Are you battling over an endless list of conflicts? These kinds of experiences can destroy your romantic relationship—if you let them.
Every relationship has ups and downs. Even the best relationships have this. There will be quiet times then something will come up and ruin your happy relationship. Suddenly, you and your partner are faced with difficulties and stress.
If your relationship is struggling, you may be tempted to do certain things to make yourself feel better. But often our first reactions to stress and despair are never the best for us in the long run. Here’s what you shouldn’t do when your romantic relationship is struggling.
Don’t Cheat on Your Partner
When a relationship becomes difficult, some people look outside of it for the comfortable, romantic, and carefree feelings they used to have with their partner. Resist all urges to cheat on your significant other! It doesn’t matter if it’s a physical or emotional affair—they’re two sides of the same infidelity coin. Whatever struggles and stress you currently have, you’re going to make it a million times worse if you seek comfort and affection outside of your relationship.
Don’t Assume They’re Not Your Soulmate
Some people think that the person they’re with isn’t their soulmate because their relationship is struggling. Well true love isn’t perfect and true love should be challenged. How can you know if the person you’re with is your soulmate if nothing bad ever happens to either one of you? How can they prove their love to you and how can you prove your love to them if either one of you is never challenged by the Universe? If life hands you lemons, you and your partner need to make lemonade together. That’s what soulmates do. So don’t look at any struggle in your relationship as an obvious sign of incompatibility.
Most relationship struggles are temporary and can be overcome. Lost a job? Get a new one. Someone you love dies? If you learn to deal with the loss, it gets a little easier every day. There’s rehab and counseling for people with addictions who want to get better. Debilitating injury? It’s most scary in the beginning, but with education and therapy, it becomes more manageable over time. A period of struggle is not a relationship death sentence and it’s pessimistic to assume things will never get better.
Don’t Keep Your Feelings to Yourself
Don’t keep your feelings bottled up inside. Stressful situations cause physical and emotional pain. Share your feelings with someone you trust—your partner, friend, spiritual leader, therapist or psychic. One of the worst thing you can do for yourself and your relationship is to pretend like you aren’t upset and stressed. Feel your feelings, get the tools to work through them and then let them go.
Relationship stresses can be overcome, but you can’t do it alone. You and your partner need to form an unbreakable bond and face whatever the Universe throws at you—head on. If you go into it with a strong bond, you’ll come out the other side with an even stronger bond. If you go into it with a shaky bond, it’s likely that your relationship won’t survive.
The point that not all initial reactions to stress are beneficial in the long term is very true. It’s important to consider the long-term impact of our actions.
Indeed, immediate actions often stem from a place of panic rather than careful consideration.
The notion that most relationship struggles are temporary is optimistic and offers hope for couples facing difficulties.
Suggesting that couples make lemonade out of lemons is a practical approach. It aligns with the idea that hardships can strengthen relationships.
The advice to not keep feelings bottled up is crucial. Open communication can often act as a remedy to many relationship issues.
The article reminds us that true partnerships require effort and resilience, particularly during challenging times.
Sharing stress with trusted individuals is sound advice. It emphasizes that isolating oneself during tough times is not beneficial.
Absolutely. Keeping feelings inside can exacerbate the problem and lead to greater issues down the line.
I agree. External support can provide clarity and emotional relief.
The article provides a balanced perspective on relationship struggles, emphasizing the importance of not seeking solutions outside the partnership.
It’s insightful to caution against assuming that a struggling relationship means the partners are not soulmates. This offers a fresh perspective on romantic compatibility.